Dursley teenager who became a pilot want to inspire others
He took part in a flying scholarship which involved 12 hours of flying in the air with an instructor, before completing a solo flight.Mr Curwen, who is now 20, has spent most of his life around flying. His father was in the Royal Air Force, his mother runs a local squadron of the air cadets.He attended an Air Cadet Flying Scholarship in Dundee for the residential section of his Gold Award, which he describes as a highlight of his DofE experience."I don't really remember the first few minutes or the last few minutes because you are so focused on taking off and landing. However there's a five minute window when you're up there flying around, whatever you want to do," he explained.
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Telegraph
9 hours ago
- Telegraph
Gordonstoun pupils recreate teenage King's 28-mile Cairngorms hike
Gordonstoun pupils have recreated the King's 28-mile Caingorms hike 60 years later. The teenage Prince of Wales went on a three-day hike through 'rain and stormy wind' in October 1965 for his silver Duke of Edinburgh (DofE) award. This year students from the King's old school tracked down the archived records of his route before setting out to recreate the challenge, following the King's footsteps across the Highlands in their hike from June 19 to 21. While handwritten notes detail how Charles ascended 2,788ft peaks to find a view shrouded in mist, the students chose a warmer time of year for their hike. Temperatures reached as high as 27C (80F). They followed Charles's route from Balachroich, through Kingussie, to Rothiemurchus Lodge in Aviemore, taking in Glenfeshie Forest and passing by Ben Macdui on the way up Glen Dee. Another group followed the same course in reverse. With the help of the handwritten notes and accompanying map, a team of seven – five girls and two boys – retraced Charles's route to obtain their own silver awards. Hiker William Griffin, 16, said: 'The most standout thing for me on the expedition was how diverse all the landscape was. 'We started off in dense woodland, going along the banks of a dried-up river that led out into a wide valley with thick heather. 'We then went through the mountains into a massive open plain with the river meandering through it. It was so impressive.' The records reveal Charles was a member of group two, under its pupil leader Michael Fabianski. The group was found in good spirits when a 'Mr Varney' checked in with them on the Saturday, according to the notes. Mr Fabianski said: 'My memory from the expedition was camping for the first night on the banks of the River Feshie and wading across the River Dee, while walking up Glen Dee to the Corrour bothy, where we camped for the second night. ' It's very atmospheric walking up Glen Dee, with Cairn Toul on one side and Ben Macdui on the other. I appreciated the steepness of the valley later, when we scrambled up its side to Càrn a' Mhàim during the gold expedition in which I took part the following July.' Mr Varney's written account talks of 'overcast skies' and 'stormy wind' but suggests the Sunday was 'a fine day' and the prince's group reached their final destination just after group one at 3.20pm. India Lewis, 16, one of the pupils who went on the expedition, said it was cool to follow in the King's footsteps and she really enjoyed the challenge. Miss Lewis said: 'In the back of everyone's mind we remembered our motto, 'Plus Est En Vous', and we remembered that you have more in you. 'We do have more in us because even at times when we thought we couldn't do it we were still able to keep going and we all got there in the end. Mindset does really matter.' The DofE award has its roots at Gordonstoun, where it was known as the Moray Badge until Prince Philip championed the experience. It evolved to become a national programme in 1956. In the 12 months to March a record 572,802 pupils participated in the scheme at bronze, silver and gold levels. Peter Green, the Gordonstoun principal, said: 'In the spirit of our founder Kurt Hahn, I firmly believe that students must be regularly challenged to grow, both inside and outside the classroom. 'The recent expedition through the Cairngorms, retracing the footsteps of the King, was a powerful illustration of that philosophy in action. 'Spending four days camping in one of the most remote regions of the UK presented a genuine test of the students' resilience and teamwork, and they responded with remarkable perseverance and strength of character.'
Times
12 hours ago
- Times
Gordonstoun pupils recreate King Charles' DofE trek, 60 years on
At the age of 16 the future King Charles set off on a three-day character-building hike across the Highlands in 'rain and stormy wind', according to logbooks unearthed at his Scottish boarding school. In pursuit of his silver Duke of Edinburgh (DofE) award, the young heir to the throne trekked almost 29 miles in winter weather, including 'eight miles up Glen Feshie'. Over the course of three days, the prince ascended 850m peaks to find, the records reveal, a view cloaked in mist. He is listed as a member of group two, under its pupil leader Michael Fabianski, who were found in good spirits when 'Mr Varney' checked in with them on Saturday October 2, 1965. It was Gordonstoun students preparing to undertake their own DofE expeditions this year who tracked down the records of that adventure in the school archives. With the help of the handwritten notes and accompanying map, a team of seven retraced Charles's route 60 years on to obtain their own silver awards. Fabianski, who successfully completed the walk alongside Charles, said: 'My memory from the expedition was camping for the first night on the banks of the River Feshie and wading across the River Dee, whilst walking up Glen Dee to the Corrour bothy, where we camped for the second night. 'It's very atmospheric walking up Glen Dee, with Cairn Toul on one side and Ben Macdui on the other. I appreciated the steepness of the valley later, when we scrambled up its side to Càrn a' Mhàim during the gold expedition in which I took part the following July.' Despite the 'overcast' skies and 'showers' that overshadowed their journey, Varney's written account suggests the Sunday was 'a fine day' and the prince's group reached their final destination just after group one at 3.20pm. The 2025 team completed the same route from June 19 to 21 in heat and sunshine, temperatures reaching as high as 27C. India Lewis, 16, one of the pupils who went on the expedition, said it was 'cool' to follow in the King's footsteps, adding that she really enjoyed the challenge. She said: 'In the back of everyone's mind we remembered our motto, 'Plus Est En Vous', and we remembered that you have more in you. We do have more in us, because even at times when we thought we couldn't do it, we were still able to do keep going and we all got there in the end. Mindset does really matter.' A fellow hiker, William Griffin, 16, said: 'The most standout thing for me on the expedition was how diverse all the landscape was. We started off in dense woodland, going along the banks of a dried-up river that led out into a wide valley with thick heather. We then went through the mountains, into a massive open plain with the river meandering through it. It was so impressive.' The DofE award has its roots at Gordonstoun, where it was known as the Moray Badge until Prince Philip championed the experience and it evolved to become a national programme in 1956. In the 12 months to March a record 572,802 pupils participated in the scheme at bronze, silver and gold levels. Peter Green, the Gordonstoun principal, said: 'In the spirit of our founder Kurt Hahn, I firmly believe that students must be regularly challenged to grow, both inside and outside the classroom. The recent expedition through the Cairngorms, retracing the footsteps of the King, was a powerful illustration of that philosophy in action. 'Spending four days camping in one of the most remote regions of the UK presented a genuine test of the students' resilience and teamwork, and they responded with remarkable perseverance and strength of character.' The route took Charles and today's adventurers from Balachroich, Kingussie, to Rothiemurchus Lodge in Aviemore, taking in Glenfeshie Forest and passing by Ben Macdui on the way up Glen Dee. Another group followed the same course in reverse.
Daily Mail
a day ago
- Daily Mail
Retracing the footsteps of the boy who would become King - group of pupils walk route taken by teenage Charles
His love of the outdoors, nature and hiking is well-known, with these passions said to have been developed during his time as a pupil at Scots boarding school Gordonstoun. Now, a group of intrepid youngsters have followed in the footsteps of King Charles by completing the same route he trekked with his classmates as a teenager. In 1965, the then 16-year-old Charles completed almost 29 miles trekking through forests and mountains in winter weather, with a 60-year-old log of the trip noting the pupils endured 'stormy wind', 'showers' and 'mist'. The Highlands route, which the seven modern day pupils followed, took in the scenic Glenfeshie Forest and passed by Ben Macdui on the way up Glen Dee. The Prince and four other students took part in the expedition in October 1965, ascending heights of 850m, as part of the Silver Duke of Edinburgh 's Award (DofE) developed by his father Prince Phillip, who was also a former pupil. A log from the trip stated the weather on the first day of the young monarch's trek was 'rainy' with a 'stormy wind' while the second day was 'overcast' with 'showers' and 'low mist'. There was some respite though as the third day was said to be 'a fine day' but with 'mist on the tops' of the surrounding hills. Despite the challenging conditions, Charles and the other four adventurers were said to be in 'good spirits'. Reminiscing about the trek, former Gordonstoun student Michael Fabianski, who completed the expedition alongside the King, said: 'My memory from the expedition was camping for the first night on the banks of the River Feshie and wading across the River Dee, whilst walking up Glen Dee to the Corrour Bothy, where we camped for the second night. 'It's very atmospheric walking up Glen Dee with Cairn Toul on one side and Ben Macdui on the other.' Unlike the modern clothing and equipment pupils can now enjoy, King Charles would have been provided with a much simpler selection. This would have included walking boots and socks, an anorak, gloves, a hat and a rucksack. As for food, they most likely were provided with dried food, which would have been prepared using a camping stove. Charles arrived at Gordonstoun as a 14-year-old in 1962 and left in 1967. His brother Edward and father Prince Phillip - the late Duke of Edinburgh - also attended, as did the King's nephew and niece Peter and Zara Phillips. After discovering the expedition log in the school archive, seven Gordonstoun students re-traced the route through the Cairngorms this summer. Their own four-day expedition, between 19-21 June, took them from Glenfeshie to Rothiemurchus, via the Lairig Ghru, the best-known hill pass in Scotland. The five girls and two boys, aged between 15 and 16, were inspired to replicate the trek as part of their own Silver DofE Award. Another team of seven students walked the route in reverse. The students spent three nights camping in the wilderness, navigating along the route and cooking their own food. Student India Lewis, 16, said: 'To be, quite literally, retracing the footsteps of The King was so cool, and something we can always say we have done.' Gordonstoun is the birthplace of the DofE award after school founder Kurt Hahn first set up a scheme in 1936 called the Moray Badge, to connect with the local community. With the support of Prince Philip, one of the first pupils at Gordonstoun, this evolved to become a national programme in 1956. Gordonstoun Principal Peter Green said: 'In the spirit of our founder, Kurt Hahn, I firmly believe that students must be regularly challenged to grow, both inside and outside the classroom. 'The recent expedition through the Cairngorms, retracing the footsteps of The King, was a powerful illustration of that philosophy in action.' According to numerous accounts, it was during his time at Gordonstoun that Charles first developed his love of the outdoors, hiking and camping. Former classmate at Gordonstoun Johnny Stonborough once discussed his time at the school with the young monarch and said they and the other pupils 'did a lot of hiking'. He added: 'I think we all became very keen on the environment as a result.' A pair of cyclists even encountered the monarch in 2023 as he walked a section of the same famous Lairig Ghru mountain pass that was part of the route he completed as a teen for his DofE award. The men asked the King if he was still on his summer holiday. He responded, saying: 'Yes. It is wonderful up here. The midges are horrendous. It's typical. I like my walking.' The monarch also added that he liked walking because it was 'good for the soul' despite the rainy Scottish weather.
